Norway 2025
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
General counsel | Brødrene Dahl AS/Saint-Gobain Distribution Norway AS
General counsel | TOMRA Collection Solutions
Head of legal section | Norwegian Defence Estates Agency NDEA (Forsvarsbygg)
Chief legal & sustainability officer, General counsel | Dibber
General counsel & Local head of financial crime prevention | Handelsbanken Norway
Group general counsel, Executive management team member | AutoStore Holdings Ltd.
General counsel business banking Nordea, Head of legal Norway, branch manager | Nordea
General counsel and Executive director for legal | CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations)
VP, Group legal director, General counsel | DNV AS
General counsel, European and international affairs | Statnett SF
Group EVP and General counsel & Chief of staff | Kongsberg Gruppen
VP Head of legal, privacy and security management | Intility
Acting group CEO and General counsel | Altera Infrastructure
Head of legal Telenor Norge AS & VP group legal Telenor ASA | Telenor
General Counsel - Chief Legal and Compliance Officer | Torvald Klaveness
SVP legal and General counsel | Wallenius Wilhelmsen ASA
EVP Legal & compliance | Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace
VP General counsel Nordics | The Adecco Group
I am delighted to announce the launch of Legal 500’s GC Powerlist Norway: 2025. Once again, Legal 500 is proud to recognise some of the leading in-house counsel across the country and celebrate their achievements.
I would like to extend my congratulations to all those who are featured in the 2025 edition of the Powerlist and thank everyone who contributed to this year’s research process.
As today’s legal landscape and business environment continue to rapidly evolve, in-house counsel must adapt just as quickly. ‘Modern in-house counsel must now, more than ever, be able to quickly adapt to change,’ says Ole Garborg, General Counsel at Elkem ASA, noting that ‘currently the world around us changes constantly’.
Camilla Nyhus-Møller, Chief Legal & Compliance Officer at Höegh Evi, agrees: ‘while the core qualities [that a modern in-house counsel should possess] remain largely unchanged, the pace at which these skills must be applied is increasing’. To ensure advice is relevant and current, in-house counsel must stay ahead of fast-moving economic, political, and regulatory developments. As Marianne Blindheim, General Counsel at Vard Group AS, succinctly puts it: ‘Speed is the new currency’.
But speed alone is not enough. In-house lawyers must also provide clear, coherent advice. “If your advice isn’t understood, it holds no real value,” says Helge Lundestad, General Counsel and Local Head of Financial Crime Prevention at Handelsbanken Norway.
Meanwhile, in-house teams are grappling with what Nina Melandsø, General Counsel at TINE SA, describes as a ‘tsunami of new regulations’ – in areas such as AI, cybersecurity, and ESG. These rapid regulatory shifts put legal teams in the spotlight, requiring ‘substantial resources and expertise to manage effectively’, she notes.
Among these challenges, ESG regulations remain at the forefront of many minds within the legal sector. ‘The general counsel role is becoming increasingly integrated in a company’s sustainability strategy,’ according to Renate Lystad General Counsel and Chief Sustainability Officer at Havfram. Melandsø agrees, emphasising that GCs can drive ESG culture through everything from trainings to monitoring and compliance systems to ensuring a culture of ESG awareness from the top down: ‘General counsel can contribute to a corporate culture that supports ESG principles in many ways’.
However, as Camilla Tellefsdal Robstad, EVP Legal & Compliance at Orkla ASA, reminds us, ‘Fostering a culture that supports ESG principles and compliance – a culture of integrity – is a joint effort.’ Legal, compliance, and ESG teams ‘need to work closely together and be aligned’.
But the rapid development, the balancing act and the challenges can ultimately be rewarding and form the basis of the in-house counsel role. As Christopher Andreas Terkelsen, General Counsel at BDO Norway, puts it: ‘No day is the same.’
On October 2, Legal 500 returned to Copenhagen to host the highly anticipated GC Summit: Denmark 2025 at the Radisson Collection Royal Hotel. The event brought together prominent voices from the legal and business communities to explore the evolving role of in-house counsel in a rapidly shifting global landscape.
The day began with opening remarks from Legal 500’s editorial lead, Francisco Castro, who welcomed attendees and set the tone for the summit. He emphasised the importance of convening the corporate counsel community to engage in meaningful dialogue around the pressing challenges – and emerging opportunities – facing legal teams today.
The first panel delved into crisis management strategies for legal departments. Hanne Marthine Frederiksen, partner at Poul Schmith, and Søren Søndergaard, director at Rud Pedersen, shared practical insights on early risk detection, cross-functional coordination, and post-crisis recovery planning. The discussion underscored the growing expectation for legal teams to lead during periods of uncertainty and equipped attendees with actionable tools to enhance organisational resilience.
The second panel focused on regulatory reform, specifically the EU’s Digital Omnibus proposal and anticipated changes to the GDPR and NIS 2 Directive. Marlene Winther Plas and Christian Wiese Svanberg from DLA Piper Denmark, joined by Heidi Warm from the firm’s Brussels office and Tina Dorthe Nielsen, senior legal counsel at FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, offered a practitioner’s perspective on navigating evolving data protection and cybersecurity legislation. The panel highlighted areas where simplification could benefit businesses and improve compliance outcomes.
After a short coffee break, the conversation turned to the insurance industry’s response to emerging global risks. Medea Solevad Plesner, legal director at Kennedys, Anja Deleuran, senior insurance manager at Carlsberg, Thomas Brenøe, director at Insurance and Pension Denmark, Lars Søhøj, financial lines underwriter at Zurich, and Jonas Spangsberg Svensson, attorney at The RiskPoint Group, explored how climate change, geopolitical instability, and the rise of consumer-led class actions are reshaping corporate risk profiles. The panel examined implications for claims handling and the future of insurance solutions across cyber, product liability, property, and D&O.
The final panel of the day addressed how legal teams can position themselves as strategic business partners. Moderated by Francisco Castro, the session featured John F. Kuckleman, group general counsel at Novo Nordisk, and Pia Ullum, legal vice president at Dell Technologies. Both speakers shared compelling examples of how in-house counsel can align more closely with business objectives, demonstrate measurable value, and build influence across the C-suite. The discussion highlighted the shift from reactive legal support to proactive leadership and commercial insight.
To close the event, Francisco Castro thanked all speakers and attendees for their contributions and engagement throughout the day. He reaffirmed Legal 500’s commitment to supporting the in-house legal community through high-impact events and thought leadership. Guests were then invited to enjoy refreshments and informal networking, providing a relaxed setting to continue conversations and forge new connections.
